How to identify, prevent and treat mites in guinea pigs

What are mites?Mites are very common, small parasites that live on, or burrow into the skin of small animals. The most common type of mite is the mange mite, which burrows into the skin of guinea pigs, causing them immense pain. If not treated in the early stages, mites can cause extreme and painful damage to your piggies, and even death.

How do they occur?Mites commonly find their way to guinea pigs through hay and grass. Most mites, especially mange mites, are not able to be seen by the human eye so are impossible to diagnose at home.

How can you identify them?Mites cause irritation of the skin, triggering scratching, pain when touched and hair loss. This often leads to scabs and sores if left untreated. If your guinea pigs have not had mite prevention treatment, you should them treated as soon as possible. Treatment should be given every three months.

How can you prevent them?Mite prevention is easy. Treating your guinea pig with Ivermectin or Revolution for puppies and kittens (it is important to use the puppy and kitten treatment) regularly is all you need to do. With Ivermectin (available fromyour vet or QGPR), one oral treatment is required every three months for prevention. With puppy and kitten Revolution, one drop is placed behind each ear every month for prevention.How do you treat it?Treatment for the walking dandruff mite and mange mite are completely different. The walking dandruff mite is treated using Fido's Free Itch concentrate or shampoo, while mange mites are treated with Ivermectin, Revolution or Dectomax. It's recommend to treat for mange mites first, and then walking dandruff mites, as bathing a piggy with mange mites causes them to bury deeper, worsening the pain. Treat by following the steps below:

Treat with Ivermectin (available at QGPR for $5 a treatment, or from your vet) for four consecutive weeks; Revolution (1 drop of puppy or kitten Revolution behind each ear) weekly for three weeks; or Dectomax (injection by the vet) for two consecutive weeks.

After the second treatment of any of the above, use Fido's Free Itch concentrate or shampoo weekly until symptoms improve.

After the second treatment of Step 1, you can apply betadine, paw paw ointment, neem oil or coconut oil to open sores to relieve discomfort.

Guinea pigs with severe cases will need pain medication and antibiotics from a vet. They may also need bandaging to help stop scratching. A cavy savvy vet can also assist with this.

When should you see a vet?As soon as your guinea pig has caused open sores by scratching, has a large portion of their body affected or is showing signs of obvious discomfort, a vet should be seen. A vet should also be seen for treatment from the beginning if you are not able to source an at-home treatment, or if symptoms do not improve.